Copper Cuffs

It has taken a while to get back my blog but I am here now. As promised here is a photo of the copper cuffs I was working on when I last blogged...

They turned out quite well. And even though the hammering alone took 2 sessions over 2 days I still say hand hammering is still better than using a machine to do the hammering for me. It is just a matter of pacing so as not to completely wear our the muscles ;) These cuffs took longer than usual because they are much larger than I usually make. They were a custom order and measure 2" wide by 11" long. Usually the largest cuffs I make are 1" wide by 7" long.

After hammering, the stage that was shown in my last blog post, I sanded the cuffs by hand and hammered them into their cuff form. The last step before photographing and shipping was to polish them to a high shine.

In the time it has taken me to get this post together I have made quite a few new pieces along with working on listings for my Etsy site. The new design for my animal line is the ferret. They turned out beautifully.

This is one of the ferrets in copper. In about 2 weeks time I made 9 of these total in copper, nickel, red brass, and yellow brass.

The other custom piece I had was a copper version of an engineers guild ring. It is to be a special present.

I like how it turned out and am quite happy I was able to figure out how to make the design from a photograph.

Hand Power or Machine Power?

As I sat beating a piece of copper into submission my arms began to tire. The hammer seemed to increase in weight with each strike. And then I thought 'there is probably a machine that can put all these little diviets into the metal without wearing so much on the muscles.' I continued striking the blank for an extra wide copper cuff with the ball-peen hammer and continued thinking...

I have seen a machine used to shape and smooth a fender for a bike on one of the chopper shows which would make this task quicker and easier. But being a machine each strike would be the same depth with the same amount of pressure. The resulting texture would not be as rich as hand hammering, as the strength and angle of each strike varies. It also wouldn't have the same energy. The time and physical energy put to hand hammering adds an unseen energy and feel to the metal as it is worked that shows through in the final piece. I have also found a greater sense of accomplishment working in older methods with my stubborn refusal to turn every part of my work over to complex machines. I admit I love my flex shaft for polishing and I would get far less pieces completed if I polished everything by hand from start to finish, but there is just something enriching and fulfilling about using a hand held hammer over a machine or hand saw over a laser cutter and I think that shows through in my work when the pieces are finished. So although I will acquiesce to using some mechanized processes I don't think I will ever give up the fun, frustration, and weariness that comes from working by my own physical power.

The 2 extra large (2" x 11") copper cuffs I am currently working on complete with hammer I am using, resting on my pounding block.

Tuesday Treasury

I just created this treasury for the Pagans of Etsy Team. Please click on the picture and have a look at the great magical items this team creates :)

Thank you for stopping by!

A bit of my older work

I has been a while since I have gone through my portfolio so I decided to take a look and share some of my other art work.

These digital images were done for one of my design classes in 2002. The astrology images were done using Illustrator and Phtoshop and the angel was created with Illustrator using the gradient mesh tool.

I decided to check out Ety's pounce function today and took a look at the undiscovered section. After only 2 pounces I was captivated by the pieces Tuavus Design offers. Each piece they have in their shop is made from reclaimed wood. Beautiful, functional, eco-friendly lighting products!





"Tuavus design is a small design studio and workshop situated in north London, England. The company was founded by two designers with the concept of creating functional pieces of sculpture from solid reclaimed timber. We like to think that through simple but considered styling, our design work creates an interesting juxtaposition between the natural materials, metal and plastic, while also allowing the natural beauty of the wood to speak for itself."
- Tuavus Design

Surprised

I have decided to do a bit of playing (trial and error work) with forging. It is something that I have been wanting to do for a while now but just haven't gotten to. Partially because the 4 rings I have forged from scrap sterling I heated with a torch instead of having a proper fire. We have an old stove outside that seems will be very good for making a proper fire but it was in bad need of cleaning before any actual work could be done.

The other day I started playing with a necklace for myself. It will be a torque style with a lot of hammering. Looking at the piece after I started I realized I either needed to clean out the stove and get some good coals going or I would go through a lot of map gas with a torch. So I set about cleaning the remains of previous burns from the stove.

After I pulled out some of the burned matter with a garden trowel I looked deeper into the stove and was surprised to find plants growing. It seems that nature will find its way. I really didn't expect to find anything growing in the stove because I didn't think there would be enough light. However, these little plants, I believe they are rose a sharon, decided there was enough of everything they needed right there.

A Handmade Registry

Have you ever thought :
"I wish I could REGISTER for a HANDMADE WISH LIST to send to my friends and family for birthdays, holidays, and special occasions!"?
myHandmadeRegistry.com is a networking site for buyers and sellers to find and share their favorite handmade items. This site is a place where everyone can create a personal page with a list of their favorite items from only HANDMADE RETAILERS! There are also groups within the community for expectant parents, a house-warming group to share decorating tips on a budget and find that special accent piece, and one for the $5000 handmade wedding. You can find more information about what inspired Dorana of a Dorana Design and ddots to create myHandmadeRegistry.com here.

With the sharing of information and handmade items that goes on in this site you can often find those special handmade items you have been looking for at a fraction of the cost you would pay at the big chain stores. It is also a great place to see what special things other people have discovered. Each day they feature a member's wish list on their front page.

I found out about this site this morning when I received a convo through Etsy.com letting me know one of my rings was in todays featured wish list. I will be signing up for this site myself. I know I am one of those hard to shop for people who can never remember the things that I want when someone asks "what do you want for your birthday." This will be a great solution to that issue once I have created my wish list. Not only will family be able to see what I have been wanting but it will also support the handmade community.